> Thanks Randall, and that is exactly what I've been experiencing. Any
> preferred methods or connecting the ground?
Find a good solid point to connect the ground wire to the body. I prefer an
existing bolt, so on my TR3A, I used one of the bolts that holds the fuel
tank; on the Stag I'll probably use one of the fuel pump mounting bolts.
Make up a ground wire with the appropriate connectors, including a ring
terminal for the bolt. The connectors should be available at Radio Shack or
your local electronics supply, the terminals on the bulb holders are 3/16"
(.187") wide rather than the more common 1/4" terminals. Get some black 16
gauge (AWG) stranded wire while you're there, with oil resistant insulation
if they have it.
My preference is to use crimp connectors, either uninsulated or with the
insulation cut off, and then after crimping, solder the wire to the
connector where the end protrudes from the crimp. The crimp provides strain
relief to keep the wire from breaking at the surface of the solder, while
the solder provides the gas-tight connection. Then I like to add
heat-shrink tubing (also from RS) to cover the crimp and 1/2" or so up onto
the insulation on the wire, for more strain relief.
Use a new "star" type lockwasher with the ring terminal. If the surface
it's being bolted to is painted, IMO it's best to scrape away the paint, but
the sharp edges on the lockwasher will usually cut through if you don't want
to scrape away your expensive paint job. A thin layer of silicone grease on
all mating surfaces is a good idea too. For the quick disconnects, you can
add another piece of heat shrink over the spring portion, extending slightly
so it somewhat closes the opening that the terminal slides into, and then
fill the cavity with silicone grease. Although the grease itself is
non-conductive, it helps to keep air away from the actual point of contact,
ensuring that it can't oxidize over time.
This is all probably overkill, you may want to do something simpler,
especially if you don't have the tools. But the result is a connection that
will outlive you.
One other thing, while you can join wires by stuffing two of them into the
same terminal, it's usually difficult to get a good solid crimp on both of
them. IMO it's better to make a "T" connection somewhere in the wire run by
stripping back a length of insulation without cutting the wire, then
wrapping the side wire around several times and soldering it. Then bend the
side wire down parallel to the "through" wire, and cover with heat shrink
that extends at least 1/2" beyond the solder.
Randall
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